San Jose State has filled most of its non-conference slots for the next seven years, and I’m guessing that Sparta will be happy with the results.

The Spartans have a nice mix of marquee opponents and games SJSU could/should win.

For SJSU fans, the biggest name will undoubtedly be USC (in 2009), but the biggest story should be Navy.

That’s partly because of the allure of playing a service academy, partly because SJSU and Navy will play four times: twice at Spartan Stadium, twice in Annapolis.

Dick Tomey was friendly with former Navy Coach Paul Johnson and knows Johnson’s replacement well: Ken Niumatalolo played for Tomey at Hawaii, so there’s a natural connection.

Other thoughts on the 2008-14 schedules:

* Finances were important, but not critical. The athletic department is in better shape fiscally than it was a few years ago, so athletic director Tom Bowen was not backed into the “body-bag game” corner.

“We wanted to make the schedule fair for the student-athletes and put ourselves in competitive situations,” Bowen said.

“The finances were not the driving force behind the schedule.”

* Tomey and Bowen wanted to schedule as many western opponents as possible, mostly for recruiting purposes but also because it’s easier/cheaper for SJSU fans.

That means Arizona and Southern California, plus dates against Mountain West schools.

* While all the Stanford games are scheduled for Stanford Stadium, the Spartans might try to move one or more to Spartan Stadium, the thinking being:

If it’s the Bill Walsh Legacy Game, shouldn’t it be played at his alma mater every few years?

* There is no movement on the Cal front. Tomey and Jeff Tedford discussed a possible series a while back, but SJSU has not heard from the Bears since the fall.

“I’m assuming their silence means they are not interested,” Bowen said.

* Of the 28 slots available over the next seven years, SJSU has filled 23. So there are a few holes in what you’re about to see, especially six and seven years out (that’s not uncommon in the football scheduling business).

Look for those openings to be filled by the likes of Sacramento State/Poly/Davis or Mountain West teams.

*** 2008

Aug. 30: vs. UC Davis
Sept. 6: at Nebraska
Sept. 13: vs. San Diego State
Sept. 20: at StanfordComment: Good year to play Nebraska.

*** 2009

at USC
vs Utah
at Stanford
vs. Cal PolyComment: Playing the Trojans, even if it’s a blowout, brings exposure/recruiting benefits.

*** 2010

at Arizona State
at Stanford
at UtahComment: Will Dennis Erickson still be at ASU? Heck, will Tomey still be at SJSU?

*** 2011

at UCLA
at Stanford
at Colorado State
vs. Navy (Nov. 19)Comment: Doesn’t get much better than this. (Navy is the Saturday before Thanksgiving.)

*** 2012

at Stanford
at Navy
vs. Colorado StateComment: SJSU-Colorado State is home-and-home, not a two-for-one.

*** 2013

at Stanford
at Minnesota
vs. NavyComment: Minnesota will be SJSU’s first game in a Big Ten stadium since 2005 (Illinois).

*** 2014

at Navy
at MinnesotaComment: The 2015-17 schedules include a series with Iowa State.

I’m a season ticket holder for MANY years, and your statement is correct: this schedule is a major upgrade for SJSU and will allow the Spartans to be more competitive.
The Navy series is very appealing on many different levels. I’m looking forward to visiting Annapolis.
Cheers

Meirav

So much for writing about the Stanford and Cal spring practices.

Stevadore85

I’m missing the connection to Devils. What is this…a jab at Mt West Conf? Stanford? Navy??

Ole Red

Nice. I don’t think playing USC has any benefits, even for recruiting purposes. I hate to say it, but the Trojans are a freakin’ juggernaut….blowout.

SierraSpartan

Playing USNA – WAY cool in my book.

I hope that the 2011 schedule keeps as it is. I would love to see UCLA added to the mix of non-conference opponents.

It’s also nice to see the one-for-one’s with the MWC schools.

Overall, nice mix. Kudos to Bowen and Tomey for the connections and the scheduling moxie to get this layout done.

Spartan Fan

This is a great / almost perfect schedule of non-conference teams. Great mix of good teams and some great teams, and teams in the lower echelon of their BCS conference as well. Love the UCLA game (they were a satellite school), as well as Navy and booking my trip for Iowa State in 2014. Thanks for keeping us up to speed.

SpartanDuffer

If recruiting is part of the thinking towards scheduling I’d like to see 2 Pac10 opponents per year if possible. I doubt that visits to Nebraska and Minnesota help us attract recruits from those states. California should and must be 90% of our focus.

Matt “MT” Hamilton

As a Spartan stuck in SoCal, it’s good to know that the Spartans will be playing some games that are a short drive from desert, even though SoCal traffic stinks. There’re a lot of Spartans fans down here in the Coachella Valley area.

CV_Spartan

Sometimes the best schedules are the ones you don’t make … these are much better schedules than we’d have if we were tied into any sort of deal with Cal. I don’t think either Stanford or Cal has had such a deal with the academies!

Joaquin

I just hope there is enough talent to make the games competitive.
No use sending in boys to play with men to get a couple of bucks in the athletic dept.
I am a State fan and hope the best for them, except when they play us [Stanford].

Brad

How will getting killed by USC, Nebraska, Arizona State, UCLA, & Minnesota help SJSU with football recruiting? Winning is the best recruiting tool I know. Potential Spartan football recruits will not want to fly home from playing these much more talented teams in a body bag!

http://www.sjsratline.com SJSrat

Jon: That game with the “Ruins of Westwood” is historic. Cal’s little sister school is the only Div. I team on the west coast the Spartans have never played. Why? Former Spartan JV player Terry Donahue never wanted to play Claude Gilbert’s Spartans. The press would probably bring up the fact that Donahue wasn’t given a scholarship after his freshmen year at Sparta. Coach Titchenal didn’t think the Bruin Hall of Famer was big enough.

We’ve been lobbying for a game with the Bruins for over ten years. Former UCLA A.D. Peter Dalis said he never heard back from former San Jose State. (Spartan A.D. Chuck Bell. And I have that in writing.)

I look forward to sailing that weekend in Annapolis. Nice job Mr. Bowen.